Munson Medical Center is a nationally recognized 391-bed hospital in Traverse City, Michigan, and the largest of seven owned and affiliated hospitals serving patients across northern Michigan through Munson Healthcare. Munson Medical Center has won a Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals® award 14 times — one of only a handful in the nation recognized for superior quality and operational performance.

While Munson Medical Center boasts outstanding staff and superior operational quality, they recently encountered an IT challenge in their 46-bed emergency department. The original tablet solution being used by doctors to input patient data and provide patients with real-time updates at the point of care, were fraught with severe technological failures, from wireless connectivity issues to durability. Munson Healthcare’s IT department spent countless hours and resources troubleshooting, and some physicians grew so frustrated they literally threw the devices in the garbage.

Munson’s technology committee tapped Sr. System Analyst Aaron Matthews to find a new solution for the medical center’s emergency department that would provide durable mobility and reliable wireless capabilities to replace the facility’s ineffective devices. Additionally, the new solution needed to be lightweight with a large, viewable screen and extended battery life. Matthews’ researched technology vendors and enlisted the aid of DataSource Mobility, a technology consulting company, after viewing their video review of the Panasonic Toughbook C1 convertible tablet PC.

Munson worked with DataSource Mobility through their “Touch & Try” demo program, through which specialists came on site and conducted demos with various products and solutions. During the trial phase, it became obvious to Matthews that the PanasonicToughbook C1 was the best fit.

“I knew the Toughbook C1 would be our best solution and we needed to get it in the hands of the physicians and get their feedback.” Matthews said. “The device fits our needs perfectly – it’s the best solution for healthcare.”

At only 3 lbs, the Toughbook C1’s durability, dual hot-swappable batteries and portability instantly improved productivity throughout Munson’s emergency department. In addition to greater productivity, Munson’s deployment of Toughbook C1 devices has prompted a greater return on investment (ROI) for the company. Compared to the original cost of their old devices plus the cost of having IT constantly troubleshoot, Munson wound up spending 33% less on their Toughbook C1 deployments — largely due to being able to deploy fewer devices and backup devices.

“The real ROI is in the physicians’ satisfaction. Once they started using the Toughbook C1s there was immediate adoption,” Matthews said. “Previously, we were in the ED weekly to repair or troubleshoot the original devices. Now, I have not had any issues to date. The Toughbooks have been rock solid!”

To learn more about Munson Medical Center’s experience with the Panasonic Toughbook C1 convertible-tablet PCs please visit DataSource Mobility’s website where you can read the full case study.